A 19-year-old man died Thursday night after he was shot multiple times near a community center on Carbondale’s Northeast Side, city leaders said Friday.

Javon Trott, of Johnston City, died at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale after he was shot in the 400 block of East Willow Street, police said. Jarrell J. Pullen, 22, of Carbondale, is wanted in the killing.

During a press conference Friday, Carbondale Police Chief Jeff Grubbs called on Pullen to turn himself over to authorities. The police chief said Pullen is to be considered armed and dangerous.

Shortly before 5:30 p.m., police responded to the 400 block of East Willow Street in reference to a shooting across the street from the Eurma C. Hayes Center. Pullen and Trott, who police say know each other, were involved in an altercation before the shooting.

Pullen faces a charge of first-degree murder and his bond is set at $1 million.

The police chief praised responding officers and detectives for working throughout the night to obtain an arrest warrant and said the killing is not reflective of the city’s northeast neighborhood.

“We will not let the actions of a few define the character of our community,” Grubbs said.

Court records show the alleged shooter was previously imprisoned for a weapons-related felony. In 2014,  Pullen was sentenced to serve three years in prison for unlawful use of a firearm in Jackson County, according to court records.

Carbondale Mayor Mike Henry said the city is working to increase policing in all of its neighborhoods, calling the shooting on the Northeast Side “an isolated, random incident.”

“It’s a societal problem,” Henry said. “People reach for guns and knives where they used to just do fistfights.”

Henry encouraged residents to be the “eyes and ears for our police department” and sought to dispel the perception that the city’s Northeast Side is more dangerous than other parts of Carbondale.

The mayor cited newly installed video surveillance on the Strip and increased foot patrols as examples of the city’s efforts to actively reduce violent crime.

A pastor in Carbondale for the last 14 years, David Sherwood of Newbirth Kingdom Church said he agreed with the mayor’s comments about the false perception of high crime in the city’s Northeast Side and of societal changes with respect to use of lethal force in conflicts.

“It’s tragic, but it’s the reality we live in today,” Sherwood said.

Trott is Carbondale’s first homicide victim and at least the second person shot in the city in 2017.

Carbondale police last began a homicide investigation after the burned body of a woman was found in a metal trash container in August. Three suspects charged with first degree murder in that case are awaiting trial in Jackson County.

On Feb. 5, a shots fired call brought officers to the 400 block of East Sycamore Street. At that scene, a woman was taken to St. Joseph Memorial Hospital in Murphysboro for a gunshot wound. She told police she was shot in another town.

Shortly after 3 a.m. Jan. 28, police responded to the 500 block of South Ash Street for reports of a shooting. One person was found with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and taken to Memorial Hospital of Carbondale for treatment, police said.

In 2016, at least 17 people were shot in Carbondale, making it the year with the highest number of shooting victims in the city over the last decade, according to police data.

Two SIU students were shot during the last calendar year, and another shooting wounded a Carbondale police officer. Two of the 17 shootings were fatal, one of which killed a 41-year-old local musician.

Carbondale police are asking anyone with information about the Thursday shooting or Pullen’s whereabouts to call them at 618-457-3200.

Staff writer Luke Nozicka can be reached at 618-536-3325, [email protected] or on Twitter @lukenozicka.

Campus editor Bill Lukitsch can be reached at 618-536-3326, [email protected] or on Twitter @lukitsbill.

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